José Merzel

Distribution of epithelia and glands of the nasal septum mucosa in the rat.

A histotopographic study of the nasal septum mucosa in rats was made using semi-serial sections stained with PAS-hematoxylin, reconstructed in form of maps representing the structure in a sagittal plane. The stratified squamous, respiratory and olfactory epithelia and Maseras organ cover 14.8, 43.6, 41.6 and 1.8%, respectively, of the septal surface (117.1 mm2). In the vestibular region, only ducts of PAS-negative glands of the respiratory region are found, and below the septum there is the infraseptal gland with PAS-negative acini. In the respiratory region, PAS-negative acinous glands form two groups: the superior and the inferior one occupying 10.5 and 1.5%, respectively, of the septal area. PAS-positive acinous glands are in the inferior half of the respiratory region and in a small anteroinferior portion of the olfactory region. Besides goblet cells broadly distributed, the respiratory epithelium presents scattered intraepithelial PAS-positive glands which are concentrated in the anterior portion and close to the nasopharyngeal duct. In the olfactory region prevail Bowmans PAS-positive glands which are also present in the mucosa of Maseras organ, but are not seen in the olfactory mucosa of Jacobsons organ. In the latter, PAS-positive glands are found in the respiratory mucosa. Globular leukocytes, cells of connective tissue origin, are constantly infiltrating the superior regions of the respiratory and olfactory epithelia, being more numerous in female rats.

Autoradiographic study with [35S]-sodium sulphate of loss of sulphated glycosaminoglycans during amelogenesis in the guinea pig

The fate of sulphated organic compounds, probably glycosaminoglycans (GAG), during amelogenesis was studied by autoradiography in molar teeth of guinea pigs that had received a single dose of 2.5 μCi/g of body weight of [35S]-sodium sulphate and killed from 10 min to 168 hr after injection. The sulphation site was the Golgi region of ameloblasts, from where the sulphated compounds migrated into the young enamel matrix along the entire zone lined by secretory ameloblasts. After forming an ill-defined band along the Tomes processes and the adjacent matrix, the 35S diffused through the whole thickness of the matrix, reaching the dentine-enamel junction. By correlating the silver grain concentration over matrix with the growth of the tooth. it was shown that the radioactive reaction, after attaining a maximum of intensity at 24 hr. decreased at 48 hr when the matrix moved from one region to the next, which was still related to the secretory ameloblasts. After this sharp decrease, the concentration of silver grains tended to be relatively constant and the remaining labelled compound seemed to be stable. The results were interpreted as indicating that the removal of organic material in enamel maturation is related at least in part to the secretory ameloblasts.

Enamel mineralization in the absence of maturation stage ameloblasts

The role of maturation stage ameloblasts is not clear yet. The aim of this study was to verify to which extent enamel mineralizes in the absence of these cells. Maturation stage ameloblasts and adjacent dental follicle cells from rat lower incisors were surgically removed and the limits of this removal were marked by notches made in the enamel. Histological analysis confirmed that the ameloblasts had been removed within the limits of the notches. The teeth erupted and when the notches appeared in the mouth, the enamel in the experimental teeth was hard but whitish compared to the yellowish colour of the contralateral incisors used as control. SEM images revealed similar enamel rod arrangement in both groups. Decreased mineral content was observed in some specimens by polarized light microscopy, and microhardness values were much lower in the experimental teeth. FTIR analysis showed that higher amounts of protein were found in most experimental teeth, compared with the control teeth. Enamel proteins could not be resolved on 15% SDS-PAGE gels, suggesting that most of them were below 5kDa. These results suggest that the enamel matured in the absence of ameloblasts has increased protein content and a much lower mineral content, suggesting that maturation stage ameloblasts are essential for proper enamel mineralization.

The effect of lead on the eruption rates of incisor teeth in rats

The effects of lead on the continuously erupting rat incisors under normo-, hyper- and hypofunctional conditions were investigated. Left lower incisors of 20 rats were rendered unimpeded (hypofunctional) by cutting them out of occlusion every 2 days; the right lower incisors of these rats were considered hyperfunctional. Measurements on normally growing teeth (normofunctional) were carried out in a group of ten rats whose teeth were not cut but only marked every 2 days. On day 7 of the experiment, half of the rats from these two groups were given a single intraperitoneal injection of lead acetate (40 mg/kg), and the other half received sodium acetate (22 mg/kg). Another group of 15 rats was used to obtain blood samples for lead determination 1 h, and 10, 20, and 30 days after lead administration. Animals were killed on day 32. Hypofunctional incisors from lead-treated rats erupted more slowly than control ones (P<0.05). These results show a previously unreported toxic effect of heavy metals.

Alveolar bone remodelling pattern of the rat incisor under different functional conditions as shown by minocycline administration

Remodelling of the socket surrounding the continuously growing and erupting rat incisor was examined in teeth under normo, hyper and hypofunctional conditions. Cross-sections of the mandible were observed under fluorescence microscopy, where minocycline labelling evidenced bone remodelling. Animals had received minocycline (10 mg/day) during the experimental period. Control animals (from all three groups) received vehicle alone and samples from these animals were not fluorescent. Minocycline did not interfere with the eruption rates in any of the functional conditions studied. Normofunctional (impeded) incisors showed constant osteogenic activity in the alveolar bone facing the periodontal ligament in all regions of the incisor. Under hypofunctional (unimpeded) and hyperfunctional (impeded) conditions, osteogenesis in the region close to the alveolar crest was markedly increased in the mesial wall of the socket. The labial alveolar bone, facing the enamel-related periodontium, was almost entirely formed during the experimental period in all the groups, but in hyper and hypofunctional teeth the newly formed bone was thicker and contained a substantial amount formed before the experimental period. In the more apical regions of the socket no marked differences between the three functional conditions were found. The similar bone remodelling shown in hypo and hyperfunctional teeth might indicate that there are common factors causing this pattern. Consideration of possible factors appear to rule out the eruption rate, which is very different under these two functional conditions.

The effects of local trauma to the enamel-related periodontal tissues in the eruption of the rat incisor.

The periodontal tissues related to enamel (PTE) of the rat incisor comprise a connective tissue derived from the dental follicle and the enamel organ with its successive stages of development. Localized damage to these tissues in rat lower incisors was done surgically in three ways: with an endodontic file introduced into the labial periodontal space through either (i) its basal or (ii) its incisal extremities, or (iii) by the partial removal of the mandibular lower border, at the level of the molar teeth, together with the introduction of an endodontic file into the incisal part of that space. The lesions in the molar region of the PTE produced first a variable period of retarded eruption, and, depending upon their extent or degree were followed by a cessation of the eruptive movement and, in the majority of the operated teeth, a recovery of the normal eruption rate before the end of the experiment (17 weeks after surgery). Access to the PTE through the basal portion of the socket was erratic, but when the tissues were damaged produced similar effects. Effects on eruption of lesions produced through the alveolar crest were minimal or even absent. Localized injury to the periodontal ligament of either lower or upper incisors did not produce similar effects on tooth eruption. The dental follicle and the enamel organ of teeth of limited growth when their crown is completed are similar to the PTE in the molar region of continuously growing rodent incisors. In teeth of limited growth these tissues play an essential part in the intraosseous stage of eruption. The results here suggest that the PTE may also have a role in the supraosseous stage of eruption, which is continuous in teeth such as rat incisors due to the presence of a continuously functioning odontogenic organ.

Histological and histochemical appearance of livers and kidneys of rats after long-term treatment with different concentrations of sodium fluoride in drinking water

After a review of the controversies in the literature, a histologic and histochemical study of the livers and kidneys of 48 albino rats was performed. The animals were placed on a diet containing 1 ppm NaF in demineralized drinking water, or 1, 10 or 100 ppm NaF in tap water during 90 or 180 days. The rats treated with fluoride did not present any abnormalities with respect to weight gain, morphology, behavior, and macroscopic appearance of the livers and kidneys compared to the control animals. Microscopic examination failed to reveal any morphologic alterations in either the cells or the mitochondria of the livers and kidneys. Histochemically, the polysaccharides, the protein reactive groups and the acid and alkaline phosphatases also failed to present any visible alterations. With respect to the lipids, the kidneys and livers of the rats treated for 90 days did not show any fat deposition, whereas those treated for 180 days showed zones of deposition of lipids in the livers and kidneys with different frequencies when compared with the control animals. The association between lipid infiltration and the presence of fluoride in the drinking water, however, was statistically significant only in the livers, hence, the hypothesis that fluorinated water accelerated this process in the treated animals cannot be excluded.

Growth and the Modeling/Remodeling of the Alveolar Bone of the Rat Incisor

The modeling and remodeling of the rat incisor alveolar bone was followed as the animals grew. The weight of the hemimandible, the length of the socket, and the width of the lower incisor were measured. Osteoclasts and resorption areas were identified by tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase staining. Fluorochrome markers were used to detect and measure osteogenic activities. In the socket related to the periodontal ligament, osteoclasts appeared in scattered sites as well as isolated sites of osteogenic activity, apparently without any variation related to the age of the animals. At the socket facing the dental follicle of young rats, the inner surface was lined with osteoclasts. The number of osteoclasts decreased steadily as the rats grew. In 1‐year‐old rats, in addition to a few scattered osteoclasts, the internal aspect of the labial wall showed some sites lined with osteoblasts and cement lines indicative of prior bone formation. In young rats, there was a continuous osteogenic activity at the external surface of this wall. The thickness of the labial wall of the socket remained apparently constant; therefore, bone resorption must have occurred at the internal side of the wall. Such osteogenic activity was not observed in old rats. The main forces acting on rat incisors, biting and eruption, are continuous through the life of the animals. Thus, these results indicate that the modeling of the alveolar bone related to the dental follicle, in young rats, can only be associated with another force, specifically, the growth of the incisor. Anat Rec, 291:827‐834, 2008.

A histological study of root-resected and root-transected rat incisors when eruption ceases, shortly before they are exfoliated from the socket.

Resection of the odontogenic region or root transection of normal (impeded) rat lower incisors showed that eruption ceased from 1 to 13 weeks when the base of the resected teeth (87.5%) or of the distal segment of the transected ones (86%) reached the alveolar-crest region. When the operated teeth reached the crestal region, the enamel-related periodontal tissues were absent and the periodontal ligament (PDL) was the only periodontal tissue that remained. The PDL of the crestal region may be considered as mature PDL, showing a length of approx. 5-6 6 mm at the mesial face of the tooth, 4-5 mm at lingual face and 1 mm at distal face; from these limits towards the apical end of the socket the PDL becomes gradually immature. The mature PDL seems not to have a role in the process of tooth eruption. Several factors can be suggested to explain the more frequent retention, at the crestal region of the socket, of impeded rather than unimpeded incisors submitted to the same procedures. The connective tissue that develops between the base of the tooth and the bone that fills the alveolus may have more time to organize itself in impeded than in unimpeded teeth, which erupt at a faster rate; this tissue could support and retain the impeded operated teeth longer than the unimpeded ones. The decrease in the mechanical properties of the PDL in the unimpeded condition may ease the traumatic effects and lead to exfoliation. Eruption might be stopped by the increase in occlusal forces, per unit area of root surface, as the root becomes shorter; this effect is likely to be greater in impeded than unimpeded teeth.

Effect of Vinblastine On the Cell Cycle and Migration of Ameloblasts of Mouse Incisors As Shown By Autoradiography Using 3H-Thymidine

Abstract. The effects of vinblastine on the cell cycle and the migration of ameloblasts were studied in the lower incisors of mice by labelling the cells with 3H‐thymidine ([3H]TdR) and radioautography. A group of mice received 2 μg/g of body weight vinblastine intraperitoneally and 6 hr after these animals and those of a control group were injected with 1μCi/g body weight of [3H]TdR, and sacrificed at time intervals from 0.75 hr to 15 days.